Donuts still picking on Buckets

TinaY

TinaY

Junior Guinea Pig
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It has been a month now😖. Buckets regularly has little wounds on his bum or redness from pulled out hair. They get along totally fine all day, they explore together during the floor time, they sit close to each other and chill out of their hideys in the cage. In the morning I saw chunks of hair in the cage and I do catch Donuts chasing and nipping at Buckets sometimes in the evening. They can eat together, Buckets is super submissive, he waits his turn, they have everything of 2 or more in the cage. I tried putting a panel between them in the cage and none of them was happy (no popcorning when they saw us in the morning as they usually do when we say good morning to them), Donuts kept chewing on the panel. Buckets gets terrified of him when Donuts starts raging, his eyes get wide, he runs like crazy, panics and jumps into the hay sack or freezes in the corner of the cage to the point that he literally sits there so that I pick him up and try to calm him down😣. He is visibly relieved when I pick him up and makes happy noises and stretches out his leg to lay on me (and he is not the cuddly one).

I do not know what to do. Obviously it is serious if Buckets keeps having missing hair and little scratches, nipping wounds on the bum. But how serious is it? I have never witnessed Donuts actually biting him. I do tell him off gently when I see him getting pumped up and he usually stops with the teeth chattering. That said, am I doing the right thing? Is this going on too long? None of them is loosing weight. Buckets sometimes squeals, but I read here that that is normal. I did once pick him up in the middle of the chase when he used his human calling sounds in panic (I got bitten in the process by accident by Donuts, but that's on me to know better next time).

Any words of wisdom? Their cage is big, everything of 2-3, they get lots of floor time. I do not think they will be happy apart, but Buckets can't keep getting hurt while being as submissive as it gets. It is not even a fight, it is literally Donuts going after Buckets and he just takes it.
 
Could you give a bit more information to help us please

How old are they
How long have they been together
Their cage measurements

It can sometimes be a situation of can’t live together, can’t live apart but actually living separated is better for the long term if the situation is tense
 
They are both about the same age, I would say 8-10 months. They have been together since babies.

Their cage is two times 4X2 in T shape so each of them has their own "wing". No corners where there wouldn't be two exits possible.
 
I think most of "attacking" happens during the night. I work at home and we are literally around them most of the time and I saw them chasing a few times in the morning, I put them on the floor and it stopped. And a few times in the evening. Nothing during the day.
 
This is the cage.
 

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Yes, windows are good size, there are 2 of windows and one door, all of them work as entry/exit points easily.

I am suspecting the hormonal spike too yes, just feeling super sorry for Buckets and wondering if I am not doing enough to protect him. At the same time I do not want to do something wrong and separate them for life and cause more harm long term. Is it Ok to just put up the panel in between during nights? I can monitor them during the day and make sure they are on the floor in the early morning and late in the evening so that there is no dispute.
 
No don’t put a panel up for night time. Continual separation at night and being put back together during the day would cause problems for them and their territories.

You either need to leave them to it to sort things out for Themselves or decide their bond is broken and permanently separate.
In reading this, it sounds as if there is hormonal tension but that their bond is not necessarily broken. You do want to keep an eye if injuries are being caused though
 
Ok. I will wait and observe then. Thank you very much!
 
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